The Godmother
by ThereIsNoSpoon
Summary: it's the summer. i'm bored. i'm writing a story. there is a Mary Sue character. Some DG, maybe HrR... i haven't decided... but there isn't slash. consider yourselves forwarned.
1. Chapter 1

The dark green scooter seemed to appear out of nowhere in the sky. It was an overcast day, but the sun poked through the clouds every now and then, reflecting off the sleek vehicle and making it gleam.

A figure slid off the bike, which seemed to be laden with more than a few belongings. Several suitcases were stacked up at the end of the scooter tied down several times with heavy twine. At the peak of the pile was a cage from which a faint but nervous chattering could be heard. The rider ignored it, taking off her helmet and tossing her long, blue-streaked black hair in an attempt to make it less unruly. She opened the trunk space beneath her seat, and pulled out several bouquets of flowers with a very serious look on her face.

The rider started at the back of the graveyard where the older graves stood, placing two bouquets of flowers on a pair of gravestones sitting side by side. At the second gravesite, she let a bouquet of flowers as well as a small winged ball before moving onto the third and final grave, a grave she had made this trip specifically to see.

It was somewhat an inconspicuous site in the middle of a massive family plot. The woman stood in front of the tombstone for several minutes, holding the bouquet of roses like a newborn baby, trying to deal with her grief. Finally, she bent over and set the flowers in front of the tombstone before straightening and gazing at the engraved rock again. Suddenly, she lashed out unexpectedly, kicking the stone as hard as she could.

"You idiot, Sirius Black!" A flock of birds scattered from a tree nearby, squawking as the woman's voice echoed. "Of all the stupid t'ings you've gone done in your life, dis has to top 'em all." She crumpled down, sitting beside the tombstone as if they were old friends. "I'm sorry I d'int come t'your funeral. It's just dat dere wasn't even a body… dere were other reasons, too…" her voice trailed off as she scowled. "Merde… well, not t'worry, though. Alastor's been keepin' me posted on all da important happenings, and guess what, Sirius? Dey want me back on da Order!" She sighed. "I'm sure y'know by now dat we've lost Dumbledore… Dumbledore, Sirius. Dey're tellin' me Severus did it." She paused. "Shoud've seen it comin'…

"Most of de Order I know is gone now, anyway… Lily an' James, you, de Longbottoms… Dumbledore… not to mention my brothers. Dey want _me_ to be healer, ain't dat crazy?" she snorted. "I ain't half as good as Eugene was." The woman started to pick up blades of grass at random before tossing them aside, doing whatever she could to keep her eyes averted from the grave marker. "Feel free t'answer when you're ready. I've got all day."

Remus Lupin walked briskly towards the living room of the Black mansion, a number of scrolls in his arms. He nearly collided with Alastor Moody, who seemed to be pacing the parlor while muttering to himself.

"Is something the matter, Alastor?" Remus asked, shifting the weight of the scrolls from one arm to the other.

"What? What?" Alastor bellowed, head snapping up suddenly, his magic eye darting back and forth before resting on Remus. "Ah, Lupin, it's just you. Nothing's the matter, my good boy. She's just late, that's all."

"Who's late?" Remus broke eye contact with Moody as he fumbled around with the scrolls before dropping them.

"I think you have enough to worry about as it is. You'll find out soon enough." Moody pulled out his pocket watch before tottering off once more in a stream of muttered curses.

The woman visiting Sirius' grave climbed back onto her enchanted scooter once more before kicking off into the sky. She knew the way to his house like the back of her hand. She found the street, uttered the password and watched as Number 12 Grimmauld Place emerged from the shadows. She gathered all her suitcases together before kicking the door open. When she did so, she managed to disturb the curtains held over a portrait in the hall. She was greeted by a piercing shriek of rage.

"You! Horrible Muggle-born whore! Get out of my house, mudblood!"

"Ah, Mrs. Black," the woman said, flashing the portrait a tight-lipped smile. "It's fantastic to see you as well."

A tall, underfed man rushed into the parlor, his patchy and worn robes flying behind him. He let go of his ears long enough to slam the curtains shut. Quite a group of people had gathered at the top of the stairs to see what the commotion was about.

"I'm terribly sorry," Lupin said, as he tied the curtains shut. "She doesn't react well to visitors. You must be the new Order member A-"

The woman stared at him with a raised eyebrow as he turned around.

"New?"

The kids at the top of the stairs watched with interest as the scene unfolded. Lupin's face registered shocked recognition which vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

"Samantha, I-"

"No need," Samantha said brightly. "I'm sure dey can help me with my bags." She waved in the direction of the Weasley children, Harry, and Hermione.

"They?" Remus spun around as they emerged from the stairway, a little guilty and bewildered.

"Upstairs, please. Thank you," she said as each teenager grabbed a suitcase and vanished up the staircase. Samantha leaned over to snap open the small cage she had brought. A white ferret hopped out, climbing its way up her arm to wrap himself around her shoulders.

"Samantha, what are you doing here?" Remus inquired softly.

"I'm here to meet Alastor. I had to visit some people before I came," Samantha replied. "Do you know where he is? I said I'd report t'him."

"Knowing Alastor, he's probably gone to look for you."

"I'm right here," a gruff voice interrupted. "You're late."

"An' I sincerely 'pologize for it," Samantha said, making her way to Alastor, who offered her an arm. She took it, and they walked down the dark hallway, disappearing as the blackness enveloped them.

Remus sighed before clicking the front door shut, turning around as the sound of feet came down the stairs. Harry was the only one to stop and talk. The others went straight intothe kitchen.

"Er… who was that woman?"

"A friend," Remus answered. "Just an old friend."

"Is she a Yank?"

Lupin's eyes darted quickly to Harry.

"Worse," he said seriously. "She's a Cajun."

"It's been a long time, Alastor. I ain't so sure I'm ready to come back to all of this," Samantha said. "You don't wanna hear da rumors I've been hearin'. Tonks hinted dat you want me t'be healer."

"Partially right," Alastor grinned, his gold tooth flashing as his scars rearranged themselves in an intricate dance about his face. "You know plenty about healing, right?"

"I'm a deviner," Samantha said pointedly. "My mum was a nurse and Paw was a medic in World War II an' all dat rot, but Eugene was de healer. Not me."

"I know, but I need you to teach those kids some things about healing."

"What kids? Dem kids?" Samantha asked, jerking her head in the direction they had just come from. "It's summer. Knowing kids, dey don't wanna learn nothin'."

"There's a war going on in case you hadn't noticed. These 'children' are as eager to help in the war effort as much as anyone else. Besides, we only need you to teach three of them, Samantha, not them all."

She sighed. "Which three?"

"Originally, there were just going to be two, but we found the third one. He was badly wounded, and it's a miracle we managed to patch him up as well as we did."

"I hear a catch comin' up," Samantha said. "Is dis why you're takin' me down this hallway? What's wrong with him, Alastor?" She let go of his arm as he reached over to open a door. Samantha entered the room, her eyes immediately fixating themselves on the sullen blond figure sitting in the corner.

"Samantha…" Moody warned, noticing the look in her eyes.

"A Malfoy?" Samantha hissed, spinning around. "A Malfoy? You want me to teach dis?"

"I _am_ in the room, you know," the leering blond boy snarled.

"You know I can't stand Malfoys," Samantha whispered venomously. "You know what dey did to my brothers."

"You owe this to Sirius." Samantha tensed immediately at those words. "I'd hate to admit this, but that boy is the last of the Black family line. You have the chance to set him on the right path. Are you going to pass that up?"

"Draco," Samantha murmured. The boy jerked. Moody watched the scene unfold with some degree of amusement. Samantha's usually blue eyes had subtly changed to a deep violet as it did when she was divining. "Dragons are de king of beasts, Mr. Malfoy, but I'm sure you already know dat."

"You haven't let me tell you the catch, yet," Moody said. "Finish up with the cheap parlor tricks."

"Bein' a Malfoy wasn't enough of a catch?" Samantha said, her eyes returning to their normal color.

"Show her your arm." Draco hesitated before lifting up the left sleeve of his robes. Samantha gasped at what she saw. "We found him lying in a field with his left arm severed. Someone knew that they'd find him if he kept carrying around a Dark Mark," Moody said grimly. "We tried to locate the rest of it and try to reattach it, but whoever took it off wanted to be sure the mark would never find its way back to this boy."

"Surprisingly enough someone seems to care 'bout you," Samantha snorted. "You look like a spoiled brat t'me."

"I am not a spoiled brat, and I refuse to be talked to this way!" Draco shouted, jumping out of his seat. He startled the ferret still perched on Samantha's shoulders. It hissed, making him recoil in horror almost instantly.

"Bad experiences with white ferrets, Malfoy?" Samantha asked loftily. "I can see it in your eyes. I taught Crouch dat trick y'know."

Draco scowled, settling sourly back into his seat and turning his gaze away from the adults.

"Minerva says he was a very good potions student."

"Best or Severus' favorite?" Samantha interrupted. "Dere _is _a difference."

"Slughorn affirmed the same," Moody said. "He obviously needs work, and it's apparent his parents haven't instilled many morals in him, but he is by far one of the best potions students in his year."

"No help from the Half-Blood Prince either," Samantha mused as her eyes flashed violet again. "Dere's a lot more to healin' den just potions. Dere's transfiguration an' herbology involved, too. Not every potions expert can be a healer."

"Which is why you'll have other students," Moony continued. "Ginny Weasley is the top in her class for transfiguration, and Neville Longbottom has quite a way with magical plants."

"Weasleys and Malfoys and Longbottoms, oh, my," Samantha said dryly. "I can't believe Agatha is all right with dis…" Moody gave her a look. "I've told you once and a thousand times, I'm a seer not a-"

"You're one of the cleverest witches any of us have ever met, Samantha," Moody growled. "Or have you forgotten?" She stiffened when he said those words.

"Fine," she muttered before turning to Draco. "I'll see you in de morning, Mr. Malfoy. Eight o'clock sharp. Let Miss Weasley and Mr. Longbottom know dey're gonna join you. I've had a long day, and de jet lag is settin' in, so excuse me while I take a nap." Samantha whirled out of the room before Draco could respond, slamming the door shut behind her.

"See? There she is," Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione as he pointed to a picture in the album Hagrid had compiled for him so many years ago.

A raven-haired woman with dark blue eyes winked up at the three of them rather cheekily as she held up the train of Lily Potter's wedding dress. Harry flipped the pages some more. He had gone upstairs to his room soon after the Cajun woman had arrived, and they had gotten her luggage settled. He wanted to make sure it was the right woman before he showed his friends.

"There she is again."

"I've never seen these before," Hermione remarked as she poked through several photographs Harry had set aside in a shoebox.

"I… I found those when I was going through Sirius' things," Harry said quietly.

Samantha and Sirius were making faces at the trio with a very uncomfortable looking Remus Lupin wedged in between the two of them.

"Well, she's obviously someone of a great deal of importance," Ron pointed out as Harry shut the large album with some reluctance. "She must've been your mum's friend or something, and she knew the Marauders, too."

A loud knock on the door sent the room into motion as Ron and Hermione jumped up, and Harry scrambled to shove the heavy album under his bed. Ron reached the doorknob first, yanking the door open, and nearly leaping into Hermione's arms in horror.

"Malfoy?" he squeaked.

"MALFOY?" Hermione echoed while Harry wrestled his wand out of his pocket. Draco raised both arms in surrender, and the trio gaped at the absence of his left one.

"I'm unarmed," he said softly, "and in no position to put up much of a fight. Hex me if you must, Putter, but I'm just looking for someone." Harry marginally lowered his wand, but continued to glower at the blond boy.

"Who are you looking for?" Hermione asked, but Draco had already disappeared from the room into the hallway.

Draco Malfoy attempted to escape from Number 12 Grimmauld Place several times, but each time he was thwarted by Alastor Moody. After escaping from Hogwarts with Snape, he couldn't remember much, and when he came to there was a concerned Madam Pomfrey standing over him in a room that wasn't a part of the Hogwarts hospital wing. Soon after he awakened, Moody came to tell him where he was and gave him an offer he could hardy refuse now that he had failed his objective to kill Dumbledore. In exchange for the Order of the Phoenix's protection, Draco would study to become a healer.

He was becoming quite aware that the other people in the house would not be pleased to know he was there. Moody had confined him to a room, and Moody was his only visitor. There wasn't a day that went by in which Draco didn't regret his decision to accept the Order's help. Now there was this strange woman with an odd accent, and his running into Potter, Weasley, and Granger, who seemed less than happy to see him. He was surprised he wasn't dead yet after that little fiasco. Draco wasn't too shocked that his other two "classmates" were from Gryffindor as well. Moody was making sure there wouldn't be any chances for him to cause trouble. Draco also made sure Samantha could visibly sense his reluctance to find Neville and Ginny, but something in her voice told him she didn't believe he would disobey her directions.

"Well," Draco muttered to himself, "Malfoys are always men of their word."

"Really? Personally, I've always thought they were more men of their ego."

"Weasley," Draco drawled. He hid his astonishment behind a smirk. He hadn't realized how far he had wandered since rushing away from Harry and Ron's room. "Have you seen Longbottom?"

"He's down the hall," Ginny said, glowering up at the older boy. "Why? Looking for someone to torture?"

Draco noticed that Ginny was clenching her wand very tightly in one of her fists. He was nonplussed that she hadn't stunned or hexed him already despite the fact that she had no explanation for what he was doing there.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said calmly. "Moody brought me here." He lifted his robe sleeve to show her what was let of his arm. "See? No Dark Mark either."

"I already know what happened to you. I was the one who found you in a field near my house," Ginny said stiffly. "What do you want with Neville?"

"Persistent, aren't you?" Draco said irritably. "Did you meet the crazy wench with the black hair?"

"A bit." Ginny's eyes narrowed. "She seemed like a nice lady."

"I'm sure," Draco waved his hand dismissively. "Why don't you go ahead and relay this message to Longbottom for me? You two show up in the library at eight tomorrow morning."

"What? Why?"

"The crazy wench would like a word with you," was all Draco flet like saying as an explanation. With a quick whisk of his robes Draco cruised down the hallway once more before Ginny could say another word.

A sharp rap on Samantha's door sent her vaulting out of her bed, entangled in her sheets. She landed on the floor with a loud thump.

"Er… come in," she grunted, trying to wrestle her way out of her blanket.

"You didn't show up for dinner," Remus stepped carefully into the room, carrying a tray full of food. He set it on Samantha's nightstand.

"Yes, well, de jet lag," she answered, flailing her arms and kicking her legs. When she finally got the covers off, she sat for several seconds trying to catch her breath. Remus watched with a great deal of amusement.

"Molly was disappointed, as was Arthur. I think Harry wanted to ask you a couple of questions himself," he explained, kneeling down so he could make eye contact with her.

"Wondrous…"

"He doesn't have Sirius anymore, and you _are_ practically his godmother," Remus said softly. "I think you should talk to him, Sam. At least he has the right to know who you are." Samantha digested what he said for a few seconds.

"Have a seat, Remus," Samantha answered, waving a hand at him before reaching for a bowl of soup he had brought up. "So remind me, which one is Harry again?" Remus gaped at her in shock and horror. "Couldn't've been any of de redheads. Dose are definitely Arthur an' Molly's kids… wasn't de brown-haired one. She's a girl… Ah, must've been de one who looked like de spittin' image of James Potter," Samantha mused sarcastically as she sipped soup in a faux-thoughtful manner. Remus sighed in relief which caused Samantha to grin slightly. "Just keepin' you on your toes."

"That's not funny, Sam. Did Alastor tell you why he wanted you here?"

"He wants me t'teach some kids a t'ing or two 'bout healin'," she mumbled, setting aside her empty bowl and picking at a slice of bread.

"And?"

"And dere's a Malfoy involved. Word on the street is you people found him," she continued sullenly.

"Draco… yes, he came down for the first time this evening. Alastor has had him coopedup for over a week now."

"A fairly mean youngun… kinda like his parents, wouldn't you say?" Remus noticed as Samantha's eyes glazed over briefly. He has the potential to do a lot of good, but it's all nature versus nurture right now." They sat in silence. "I t'ink you'd better go."

"Right. Do you need help getting up?"

Samantha gave him a look. "Don't t'ink dis is gonna be a regular t'ing, Remus. Dere are still some t'ings I need t'come to terms with before we can start talkin' again."

"I understand," Remus said, a hint of sadness apparent in his voice. "Good night, Samantha."

"G'nite."

As soon as Remus shut the door noiselessly behind him Samantha scrambled onto her feet and crossed the room to a large wardrobe in the corner of her room. She flung open the doors, tossing clothes every which way until she found what she was looking for.

In a large case she revealed a stone bowl. Several vials of a silvery liequid were lined up around the bowl in padded compartments along the inside edge of the case. She sucked in a deep breath, but before she could hesitate any longer, Samantha lugged the pensieve up and marched out of her room. As a seer, Samantha found it difficult at times to separate her memories from her visions and so pensieves were incredibly handy.

Samantha knocked loudly on Harry's door. He opened it, surprised when he found her standing in his doorway. She merely brushed past him, setting her pensieve case on a table in the middle of the room where Harry had apparently been conversing with Ron and Hermione. All eyes were on Samantha as she straightened up and wiped her forehead.

"Does t'ings are heavy, ain't dey?" The three Gryffindors blinked at her silently. "Yeah. I s'pose I owe y'all an explanation for all dis."

"Sorry, Miss…" Hermione trailed off.

"Boudreaux… Samantha Boudreaux. Sam, if you want. I'm your unofficial godmother."

"Are you… Sirius'…" Harry couldn't bring himself to say it. "He never mentioned being…"

"Oh, you t'ink we were _married_?" Samantha said, laughing. "No… 'course not. I was a good friend of your mum's." She glanced at Ron and Hermione. "Just so I've got dis straight… Harry, Ron, and Hermione, right?"

"Who told you that?" Ron sputtered.

"De last time I saw you two," Samantha said, indicating Ron and Harry, "y'all were babies. 'Sides, I'm a seer. Leery as y'all are of divination, it's my life, pretty much."

"What's in the trunk?"

"A pensieve. I know it's a bit early for your birthday, Harry, but it'll explain a lot. It's up t'you whether or not you want to use it," Samantha shrugged. "Now, if y'all would excuse me, I have a meetin' to attend to early tomorrow mornin'." She left the room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at each other before snapping open the case and pouring in a memory and leaning over the bowl to enter one of Samantha's memories.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a hot August day. A breeze was nonexistent and Diagon Alley was nearly deserted. People darted into stores just to take advantage of the air conditioning.

"So explain t'me what a prefect is again," a little girl with long black pigtails said. The tall boy beside her snorted.

"A prefect is dis guy who gets to tell everyone else what dey hafta do," he said with a drawl reminiscent of Draco Malfoy's.

The other boy walking in front of the girl in the pigtails turned around, a scowl on his face. Despite that, it was obvious he and the other boy were twins.

"I didn't ask t'be prefect," he grumbled.

"Sure you didn't," his twin grinned. "Dat's why you spent de last for years studyin' your butt off and bein' a goody two-shoes."

"Besides," the prefect twin continued, ignoring his brother, "dat's not what prefects do. When we get t'school, Sammy, I'm gonna be de one dat takes you back to our house once de sorting's done."

"Unless, of course, she's in my house," the other twin interjected. The prefect twin opened his mouth to object, but he was interrupted.

"Hector! Eugene!" The twins turned as a redhead girl ran towards them. "I heard you've been made a prefect this year, Eugene!" she said breathlessly when she caught up to them.

"Of course he has," Hector interrupted proudly. Sammy peeked out at the other girl from behind the safety of his arm. "Like I said, all dat studyin' and keepin' your nose outta trouble paid off, huh, Gene?" He winked at his twin, and Eugene rolled his eyes.

"Oi, Evans!"

A look of obvious irritation flashed across the redhead's face. "What do you want, James?"

"Sirius and James," Hector said, grinning a bit wider. "Dey're a bit younger den me an' Gene, Sammy, but dey're 'bout your age an' a barrel of laughs each. Dey're our kinda people, not Gene's. Why don't you go make some friends?" Samantha shook her head and clung tighter to Hector's sleeve.

"Have either of you Yanks seen Remus or Peter?" one of the two boys who now joined the group asked.

"What's this?" the other one said in mock surprise. He had longish straight black hair that fell over his eyes and just over his ears, giving him a roguish but sophisticated look. He peered closer at Eugene's chest where a shiny badge glittered. "A Gryffindor prefect, Genie? Does that mean we'll have to bow down to you and call you 'Your Highness' and rubbish like that?"

Samantha smiled a little bit in spite of herself. Hector and the other younger boy laughed, but the redhead girl frowned a bit more.

"And what's this? An ickle firstie?" the boy with long black hair inquired, peering at Samantha from around Hector. "Come on, don't be shy. Why don't you tell us your name, then?"

"Dat's right!" Eugene cried, glad to get the attention off of himself. "I'm forgettin' my manners." Hector gave Samantha a gentle nudge forward. She glanced shyly at the three strangers before her.

"Hello, there, love! I'm Sirius, this is James, and that angry creature over there is Evans."

"I'm Lily," the redhead said, holding out a hand that Samantha shook gently.

"Go on, Sammy," Hector coaxed. "Tell 'em your name."

"I'm Samantha, an' I'm eleven," she blurted. Sirius and James roared with laughter, and Samantha reddened immediately in embarrassment.

"That's good! I'm twelve!" Lily said, ignoring Sirius and James' guffaws. "Have you ever been to Diagon Alley?"

"Yeah," Samantha managed to squeak.

"Excellent. It'll make shopping that much faster. Do you want to come with me to get some books and supplies for potions?" Samantha nodded. "I'll help you with your robes, too, since that seems like a girl thing."

Samantha was liking Lily more and more by the minute. Even though the other girl was only a year older, she had a certain poise and grace Sammy longed to possess. She glanced at her brothers, and they both nodded slightly giving her permission to go with Lily.

"Dat sounds great!" Samantha said excitedly, and the two of them walked down the street chatting amiably.

Samantha stared up at the giant that was Hagrid.

"Hello, Mr. Hagrid!" she called up over the pouring rain. Her brothers had told her not to be intimidated by Hagrid's size because he was a gentle giant. Still, Samantha couldn't help trembling a little in fear. "I'm Samantha! Samantha Boudreaux!"

"Eh? Hector an' Eugene Boudreaux's little sister?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Climb into a boat then! I'm takin' all o' yer across the lake. Keep yer hands in the boat!"

Sammy stared across the inky blackness, a bewildered look in her eyes. Up ahead she could see hundreds of glittering lights from the other boats, and the large castle that loomed in the distance. She glanced furtively at the other first years in her boat. Beside her was a sniffling blond boy who looked incredibly sacred about going across the lake in the dark. He clutched tightly at a small toad to keep it from escaping. A brown haired boy with piercing gray eyes met her gaze before looking away, and Sammy blushed a little bit. The other occupant of the boat was a severe looking girl with long white-blond hair. She sat in the very middle of the boat with a haughty look on her face as if she despised getting wet.

"My name's Adam," the brunette boy piped up. Samantha dragged her eyes away from the ice queen sitting in the boat as if she were miffed that she wasn't receiving preferential treatment. Adam made his way to Sammy's part of the boat, causing the vessel to sway a bit. The boy with the toad clutched the edge so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Are you excited about coming to Hogwarts?" Adam questioned.

"I guess. My brothers go here already," Samantha replied, a bit nonplussed that someone would talk to her out of nowhere.

"My older brother goes here, too. What house do you think you'll get into?"

"I'm not sure… my brothers are in different houses," Sammy frowned.

"I'm probably going to end up in Slytherin," Adam said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Mundungus was lucky. He landed in Hufflepuff." He jerked his head over at the blond girl. "That's Narcissa. Our family's known hers for generations."

"I see," Samantha said sagely, not really grasping the importance of what Adam was saying. There was a loud scraping and a satisfying thud as the boat reached shore.

"Hurry along! Hurry along!" a voice called in the darkness. A lantern waved around. Adam and Sammy wrapped their robes around themselves tightly before heading towards the light. A sharp-looking woman in a pointed hat was holding the lantern by the entrance to Hogwarts. She wore a small pair of glasses and her brown hair was barely showing streaks of gray. "Welcome to Hogwarts, children!"

Samantha entered the building and was immediately engulfed by its warmth. She stared in awe at the brightness of the room, the arching ceilings, and the walls made of gray stone. Tapestries of the house colors hung from every surface and portraits blinked and smiled knowingly at the first year students. Samantha knew the sorting process was next, and her stomach churned slightly. She was ushered into an area behind a curtain where they were placed alphabetically. Samantha felt her palms grow sweaty.

"Black, Narcissa!" she heard as the frigid blond girl swept out of line in front of her and disappeared in front of the curtain.

"SLYTHERIN!" a booming voice called out, and Samantha winced involuntarily. The name of the house cut through her like a cold knife.

"Boudreaux, Samantha!"

Sammy edged out from behind the curtain nervously. Hundreds of eyes were on her as she shuffled towards the stool where an extremely ratty old hat was sitting. She swept her eyes once over the entire room before casting them down at her feet and sitting on the stool. The hat was placed on her head, and it seemed to swallow her whole.

"What an incredibly smart girl."

Samantha gasped in surprise at the voice that had suddenly invaded her mind.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted and instantly released her from inside it.

Samantha walked shakily over to a table which sat under a banner of blue and bronze. Hector was already waiting, and he immediately engulfed her into a big bear hug.

"Dat's right, Sammy! I knew you were too smart for Gryffindor. Eugene owes me twenty galleons now!"

"You betted on me?" Samantha said, slightly offended.

"Don't worry! I'll split dem with you!" Hector yelled over the cheering coming from the rest of their house and ruffling Samantha's hair. She grinned at him before she was ushered into a seat beside him.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood by the wall near the Ravenclaw table.

"Well, this is getting us nowhere," Harry said angrily. "So far all we've learned is that her name is Samantha Boudreaux, she has two twin brothers, and she's in Ravenclaw."

"You're just mad that Sirius and your parents weren't in it," Hermione said. Harry didn't respond, but he glared sullenly. "I'm sure they'll come up again."

"I bet not. She's not even in the same house as them," Harry grumbled, but a new memory was already beginning to appear.

It was a good three months into the school year, and Sammy was standing in the corner of a party, a glass of punch in her hand. Adam stood uncomfortably beside her. His fears of ending up in Slytherin were apparently unfounded because he was wearing Ravenclaw colors.

"Samantha?" someone said behind them, causing their conversation to end abruptly.

"Lily!" she said. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"It's nice to see a friendly face in here," Lily said, smiling. Both girls glanced around at the large number of older Slytherins.

"Dis is Adam Fletcher. Adam, Lily Evans," Samantha said and the two shook hands.

"What are you two in for?" Lily asked.

"Apparently word of the Fletcher line has proceeded me," Adam muttered darkly. "Slughorn didn't see much potential in my brother but says I have all the makings of a star wizard."

"He reckons I'm smart," Samantha shrugged.

"That's why I'm here," Lily said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

The scene faded, and Harry was disappointed by the briefness of the memory.

A teacher Harry didn't recognize was grading papers at the front of the room. Two blackboards behind him detailed how to get rid of boggarts, and Harry immediately concluded it was a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Sammy was scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. Adam had gotten her into trouble, and he was sitting on the opposite side of the room, scratching his quill across a piece of parchment as well.

The door creaked open and a skinny boy with messy light brown hair entered the room Sammy and Adam raised their eyes at the same time to peek at the newcomer. His clothes were patched and shabby. He wore the Gryffindor colors and looked as though he hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. His arms were loaded with books, and he coughed lightly to get the professor's attention.

"It's Professor Lupin!" Ron whispered in surprise.

"Um… Professor McGregor, I'm here to make up the exam I missed while I was… er, visiting my grandmother," he said hastily when he noticed Samantha and Adam in the room.

"Of course, Mr. Lupin. Here it is."

Samantha glanced up every now and then to get a better look at the student who had intruded on this period of detention. He was poring over the parchment the professor had handed him, obviously in deep concentration.

"Fletcher, Boudreaux, your time is up," Professor McGregor said, glancing at his watch. Adam and Sammy marched up to the front of the room, collecting their books and handing him their parchment as they passed. The bedraggled boy looked up once, meeting Sammy's eyes before focusing on his test once more.

Adam and Samantha rushed to the library where they found Lily attempting to get a book back from Sirius and James without too much success.

"Give it back, you gits!" she hissed. "You know there's no roughhousing in the library!"

Sirius was the first to notice the two Ravenclaw first years. He grinned when he saw Samantha hiding a smile behind her hand.

"Sammy! Won't you tell Evans we're just having a bit of fun?" he asked, sidling up beside Samantha and pulling one of her pigtails playfully. "Personally," he whispered to her and Adam, "I think James has a huge crush on her." He winked as if he knew for sure and nodded his head over to where James was making faces at Lily as she tried in vain to get her book back.

"Where have you two been anyway? Evans here was about to throw a fit because you were missing," James said as he ducked around the library table, barely dodging Lily. She let out a squeal of frustration.

"Detention with McGregor," Adam groaned, plopping himself in a seat and burying his head in his arms.

"With class on de weekdays an' Slughorn's meetings on the weekends it's a miracle we have time to t'ink of anythin' else 'sides school," Samantha sighed.

"Really?" Sirius mused with some interest. He caught the book as James tossed it to him. "That's what you get for living in a place of education."

"Isn't Remus at McGregor's?" James called to Sirius.

"Yeah… he took leave of us rather quickly, muttering about some make-up test he had to take. He _has_ been visiting his sick grandmother a lot lately, hasn't he?"

"Dat was Remus?" Samantha inquired. "How come we've never seen him before?"

"Oh, well, you know, he's more of the loner type, likes to study in the privacy of the common room. He'll be walking in your brother's footsteps next if he isn't careful," James said, winking at Sammy. Lily finally snatched her book away from Sirius and sat down with a huff.

"Maybe you should ask him if he wants to study in de library."

"I think it's smart of Remus to study in the common room," Lily said coldly, glaring in James and Sirius' direction. "If I were him, I would want to get away from you two as well."

But James and Sirius were no longer listening. Instead they were nudging each other and whispering up a frenzy. Samantha whipped around to see her brother Eugene conversing with Severus Snape. She knew that Sirius and James weren't whispering about Eugene. Despite all the fun they poked at him, they held the utmost respect for him.

"Now, you two," Samantha began, her voice rising in warning, "you leave Severus alone, understand?"

Sirius and James were beyond listening, and they watched as Eugene said goodbye to Severus before the former turned and left the library. As Severus walked by towards the bookshelves, Sirius stuck out his foot and tripped the other boy. Books and papers went flying into the air as Snape landed flat on his face.

"Oi, Snivellus," Sirius smirked, "try not to damage the floor with that nose of yours, eh?"

"Sirius!" Samantha said, clearly appalled. She glowered at James and Adam who were both sniggering before helping Severus back onto his feet. Lily attempted to help him gather some of his things, which he snatched away from her when she offered them to him.

"Thank you," he mumbled to Samantha, ignoring Lily completely.

"Well?" Sammy said, rounding on Sirius. "Ain't you gonna apologize?" He scowled at her for a second before averting his eyes and half-heartedly muttering an apology that Samantha was certain he didn't mean. Snape scuttled off into a deeper part of the library.

"Hector said you'd be fun like him," Sirius said venomously to Sammy, "but you're just as boring as Evans." Samantha's eyes flashed dangerously at this.

"And you're a lousy git," Lily murmured from behind her book.

"Come on, Sirius," James said, interrupting Sirius and Sammy's glaring contest. "Let's find something better to do before Remus comes back." The two of them disappeared out of the library doors, Sirius pausing briefly to look back and Samantha with a glower on his face.

"Well?" Harry hadn't spoken for a long time. His eyes were fixed on the scenes unfurling before him, and he made no indication he'd heard Ron at all. "Um… Harry? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he muttered, but it was obvious to Ron and Hermione that something was extremely wrong, and they exchanged worried glances. "It's just that… seeing Sirius and my parents _alive_… it's a bit much." Harry didn't mention how he was fighting the urge to join the scenes from Samantha's memories. He longed to reach out and touch his parents. He recalled with a grimace what he had seen in Snape's pensieve two years ago. In Samantha's memories at least they didn't seem cruel. Mischievous, perhaps, but certainly not cruel.

"You're sure you're all right?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Do you want to stop?"

"No," Harry responded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with firm determination. "I'm not ready to stop just yet."

"I passed!" Samantha cried gleefully when she saw her test scores displayed in the corridor. "What do you t'ink of dat, Adam? We both passed with flyin' colors!"

"Great," Adam moaned. "Now I can get a decent night's rest." He yawned widely. "I'm going to bed, Sam, good-night." He trudged up the stairs.

"G'nite!" Samantha called after him before curling up in one of the common room couches with a Muggle novel. Hours flew by as the memory fast forwarded and the common room emptied. Finally, Samantha headed upstairs to her room for the night. She closed the blue curtains on her four-poster amid the snoring of her roommates.

A few minutes later, a figure snuck in through the window, creeping noiselessly towards Samantha's bed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched apprehensively, Hermione looking as though she was about to cry out to Samantha in warning. The shadow slid her curtains aside before softly whispering a spell.

"Well?" the shadow hissed. "Wake up, Sammy!" The three observers moved closer to the bed to get a better view. Samantha's eyes shot open, and she was about to let out a scream when a hand clapped quickly over her mouth. "It's just me."

"Sirius Black, you scared me to death!"

"Sorry," he said, sincerely apologetic.

"Lemme get my jacket."

There was a shuffling as the light in Sirius' wand went out, and he crawled off of Samantha's bed. She hopped down softly herself and rummaged in her trunk for a jacket. Sirius climbed out of the window, making a soft thud as he landed on the grass. Samantha peered over the edge fearfully.

"Dat's pretty high, Sirius."

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed. "You live on the second story. Imagine having to jump out the window of Gryffindor tower."

"Have you?" Samantha asked skeptically, eyebrows raised.

"Well… not yet," he admitted with a grin. "Don't worry," he reassured her, opening his arms wide, "I'll catch you."

"Dat don't sound too reassurin'," Samantha said to herself, climbing out the window, feet first. Unfortunately, her hand slipped, and she hurtled toward the ground with a sharp gasp. Sirius caught her although he stumbled a few steps.

"See? You have to trust me. It's a good thing you're light," he said, setting her back on her feet. Samantha was blushing bright red; it was visible even in the moonlight, but Sirius was too busy dusting himself off to notice.

"Where are we going?" Samantha inquire as Sirius began to walk briskly.

"To celebrate the ending of your first term, of course! We can't go far because Potter wouldn't let me borrow his invisibility cloak," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Believe me, words were exchanged. How did you end up doing in DADA?"

"Top of de class, believe it or not!" Samantha proclaimed proudly. "I told Eugene about how I was havin' problems, and he managed to convince Severus to tutor me."

"_Snivellus_?" Sirius snorted.

"He's not dat bad," Samantha said defensively but unhappiness radiated off of him. "It helped, didn't it?"

"If you'd told me you needed a tutor, I could have done it or… or.. I could've asked Remus, but Snivellus?" Sirius cried. "Sammy, you're the cleverest witch I've ever met. You don't need help from the likes of him."

"It's more like an exchange. I've been helpin' him with potions. He's not very good at dat, but he's improvin'."

"Second year potions?" Sirius said, raising an eyebrow.

"Keep dat to yourself. I told you dat in confidence, and if I hear rumors start to fly, I'm comin' straight t'you," Samantha warned.

"Well, that little fact makes up for some things, but I don't trust him…" Sirius scowled for a second but then he let out a burst of laughter in spite of himself. "Amazing that you were raised as a Muggle all your life…"

"All right," Harry said quietly as Samantha and Sirius disappeared around a corner. "I've seen enough for one night." He and his friends found themselves standing in his room once more.


End file.
